NYT Connections puzzle #943 is the game for Friday, January 9, 2026. Use the progressive hints below to get help without seeing the full solution right away; the four answer groups are at the end. This is an archive lookup, not today’s live puzzle.
The 16 tiles in Connections #943
FORTH, LEST, CARDINAL, DIRECTION, 8 BALL, SOLO CUP, NON BLONDES, OAST, 3 BALL, THIN ICE, HEART EMOJI, CHAINZ, 6 MAFIA, DEEP END, COUTH, LIMB.
Hints for Friday’s Connections groups
Stop here if you want to solve the grid yourself. The clues progress from broad category hints to a representative tile for each group.
- Yellow: Like BBQ sauce, magma and a ladybug.
- Green: Stormy seas might lead to a sinking ship or maybe even a booby trap.
- Blue: “Dog night,” “cc” and “maniacs” would fit in here.
- Purple: Mapped out.
One answer tile for each category
If the clues are not enough, these tiles may help narrow down the groups: CARDINAL, THIN ICE, CHAINZ and OAST.
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Connections #943 category answers
The four categories are things that are red; phrases used as metaphors for precarious situations; musical artists with their starting numbers removed; and compass directions with their first letters changed.
Yellow: Things that are red
3 BALL, CARDINAL, HEART EMOJI, SOLO CUP.
Green: Used in metaphors for precarious situations
8 BALL, DEEP END, LIMB, THIN ICE.
Blue: Musical artists minus starting numbers
6 MAFIA, CHAINZ, DIRECTION, NON BLONDES. Restore the missing numerals to get Three 6 Mafia, 2 Chainz, One Direction and 4 Non Blondes.
Purple: Cardinal directions with the first letter changed
COUTH, FORTH, LEST, OAST. Change each first letter back and the tiles become SOUTH, NORTH, WEST and EAST, respectively.
Why the date matters
The requested puzzle is #943 from January 9, 2026. January 9, 2025 was a different Connections puzzle, #578, so the year is important when looking up an older grid. WordHint’s January 9, 2025 archive entry identifies that earlier puzzle.
How Connections works and where to play
Connections gives players a grid of 16 words, phrases, symbols or numbers to sort into four groups of four. The challenge is that some tiles can appear to fit more than one category; those overlaps act as red herrings, and a wrong guess uses one of the game’s limited attempts. Forbes contributor Kris Holt describes the aim this way: “Connections presents you with a grid of 16 words (sometimes phrases, symbols or numbers). The aim is to arrange them into four groups of four.”
Forbes describes the game as free to play on the NYT website or in the Games app. A Games or All Access subscription provides access to the puzzle archive, which is relevant when looking for an older game; current subscription prices are not established here. Forbes’ January 8, 2026 report gives the progressive clues and answers for #943, and TechRadar’s report independently corroborates the grid and groups.
Quick Recap
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